Gaffney Lane Elementary School Counseling Guidance

Lesson Newsletter


Dear Families,

When asked, What is smart? most people will say something that relates to doing well in school or in jobs.
Some may define smart as a score on an intelligence test. Students tend to associate being smart with how
well one scores on a test or with grades on a report card.

In 1983, Dr. Howard Gardner published a book called Frames of Mind in which he identified the existence of at
least seven basic intelligences. Gardners theory broadened our understanding of intelligence to recognize
and value that there are different ways of learning and solving problems. There are lots of different ways to
be smart.

Today during the classroom guidance lesson, I posed a new question for students, How are you smart? I
believe that all children are smart and it is important to recognize every childs strengths and their best
approach to learning. We discussed the seven intelligences proposed by Dr. Gardiner. Your child completed
an inventory on him/herself. Please ask them to share it with you. Be sure to check out where your child
perceives his/her strengths. Below is a brief guide to the seven intelligences:

Linguistics: The capacity to use words effectively either orally or in writing.
Logical-Mathematical: The capacity to use numbers effectively and to reason well.
Spatial: The ability to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and to act upon those perceptions.
Bodily-Kinesthetic: Expertise in using ones whole body to express ideas and feeling and in using ones
hands to produce or change things.
Musical: The capacity to perceive, discriminate, and express musical forms.
Interpersonal: The ability to perceive and make distinctions in the moods, intentions, motivations, and
feeling of other people.
Intrapersonal: Self-knowledge and the ability to act adaptively on the basis of that knowledge.

We discussed that while strengths may be in a few of these areas, it is important to strive to do your best in
any undertaking. We also discussed how students could use their strongest area to improve in other areas.
To extend this conversation at home, talk to your child about their interests. Join them in some of their
favorite activities and let them show off to you what they are good at.

As always, please feel free to call the counseling office with any questions or concerns that you may have
about your child, your childs school experiences, or our elementary guidance and counseling program.

Sincerely,
Emily Sanborn
School Counseling Intern